Politician robbed! ... Hackers swipe $400,000 from bank account

by

Hackers who gained access to the bank account of a politician have left it near empty. The crooks stole some $400,000 from his account after they apparently cloned his bank card.

"I went to Linstead to make a withdrawal when I realised that only $8,000 was left in my account. When I checked it out, the manager told me that she will be investigating the matter," Willian Cytall, councillor for the Troja Division in the St Catherine Municipal Council told THE STAR.

Shocked

"This money was to do business on Tuesday. Can you imagine how shocked I was to realise that about 95 per cent of my money was gone by criminal means?"

The councillor said that initial investigation revealed that the hackers gained access to his account at ABM machines in Cross Roads and Mona.

Investigators have theorised that crooks have targeted account holders who reside in some rural areas.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Paul Thomas, the man in charge of the crime portfolio in the St Catherine North Division, acknowledged that a problem exists.

"The police received information of some of these reports and while the criminal acts are being tallied, the police will continue its vigilance as the practice seems to be spreading and needs serious attention," Thomas said.

A female resident of Troja told THE STAR that her councillor was is not the only victim from the community.

"Dis is a joke," she said. "Is more than $150,000 dem tek from my account. The bank show me a paper that show $30,000 at each transaction," she said.